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Record 201 nations invited for Athens Olympics
Lausanne, Aug 14: Formal invitations to compete in next year`s Athens Olympics have been sent out to a record 201 nations.
Lausanne, Aug 14: Formal invitations to compete in next year's Athens Olympics have been sent out to a record 201 nations.
Formal invitations to compete in next year's Athens Olympics were sent out to a record 201 nations, including war-torn Afghanistan, Iraq and East Timor, on Wednesday as the one-year countdown to the Games began. The tiny South Pacific island of Kiribati was the fourth new name on the list as Olympic invites for the first time numbered more than 200. "All countries of the world will be represented. It is a very symbolic day," International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge said at a ceremony in Lausanne, Switzerland. "It is very dear to our hearts that we will have Afghan athletes, Iraqi athletes, we will have athletes from East Timor, three countries that were affected by war in the last years," Rogge said.
National committees have until December 13 to confirm their participation. Greece celebrated the 366 day countdown -- 2004 is a leap year -- with front-page banner headlines proclaiming "One year to go before the big celebration".
State television showed a 16-hour tele-marathon with news of the Olympics coming home to their ancient and modern birthplace.
While elated at the record numbers and invitations to nations recently at war, Rogge said world turmoil set off since the 2000 Sydney Olympics by global terrorism -- including the September 11 attacks -- meant the Athens Games would be held under a security shadow.
He said protection of 11,000 athletes and 130,000 spectators a day had to be Athens' top priority so there was no repetition of the 1972 Munich Massacre of Israeli athletes.
"We can never have 100 percent security but everything that is possible has already been done or has started," Rogge told reporters.
But infighting has already started over how much authority nations will have in guarding their teams after Australia's insistence this week that they would be bringing their own security officials.
Other nations such as the United States and Britain, like Australia still heavily involved in the Iraq and Afghan conflicts with troops in both places, are also likely to want to set up their own security screens.
"I am a bit surprised because I had the impression the Australians are not fully aware of the security preparations (in Athens)," Rogge said.
"It's their right to have some people with them but this cannot happen on a large scale. If every team had such security then that would be a problem."
Some Greek officials regard the Australian action as a slight on their ability to protect the Games and an infringement of national sovereignty.
Athens games organisers (ATHOC) have spent $600 million on security, far more than for any other Games, and plan to deploy 45,000 police and troops, three times the number for Sydney.
In a bid to soothe worries about security, Athens months ago set up an international committee of Britain, the United States, Israel, Spain, Australia, France and Germany to share information on terrorist threats and advise on protection.
Athens Games president Gianna Angelopoulos, who was in Lausanne for the invitation ceremony, said she was confident the Greek capital had planned well for security.
"But we have to remind the world that this is a celebration. And one celebrates when there is a safe environment, when one feels at home, is at ease, and this is what we want to do, and we are trying very hard to do so."
In a sign of how the Olympics sees itself as a unifying force in the world at this moment, Athens organisers revealed they were poised to expand the number of nations that would be visited by the traditional torch relay.
The relay is already the largest in the Olympics, planning to cross 27 cities over 35 days with more than 10,000 runners including visiting South America and Africa for the first time.
"Don't be surprised if there are more cities in the final list which will be announced in September," an Athens official said in formally revealing that New Delhi had been added.
The olive-leaf shaped torch will stop at previous Olympic cities, as well as Rio de Janeiro, Cairo, Cape Town, New Delhi, Nicosia, Lausanne, New York and Beijing, site of the 2008 games. Initial plans unveiled in February did not include the Indian capital.
Bureau Report
Formal invitations to compete in next year's Athens Olympics were sent out to a record 201 nations, including war-torn Afghanistan, Iraq and East Timor, on Wednesday as the one-year countdown to the Games began. The tiny South Pacific island of Kiribati was the fourth new name on the list as Olympic invites for the first time numbered more than 200. "All countries of the world will be represented. It is a very symbolic day," International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge said at a ceremony in Lausanne, Switzerland. "It is very dear to our hearts that we will have Afghan athletes, Iraqi athletes, we will have athletes from East Timor, three countries that were affected by war in the last years," Rogge said.
National committees have until December 13 to confirm their participation. Greece celebrated the 366 day countdown -- 2004 is a leap year -- with front-page banner headlines proclaiming "One year to go before the big celebration".
State television showed a 16-hour tele-marathon with news of the Olympics coming home to their ancient and modern birthplace.
While elated at the record numbers and invitations to nations recently at war, Rogge said world turmoil set off since the 2000 Sydney Olympics by global terrorism -- including the September 11 attacks -- meant the Athens Games would be held under a security shadow.
He said protection of 11,000 athletes and 130,000 spectators a day had to be Athens' top priority so there was no repetition of the 1972 Munich Massacre of Israeli athletes.
"We can never have 100 percent security but everything that is possible has already been done or has started," Rogge told reporters.
But infighting has already started over how much authority nations will have in guarding their teams after Australia's insistence this week that they would be bringing their own security officials.
Other nations such as the United States and Britain, like Australia still heavily involved in the Iraq and Afghan conflicts with troops in both places, are also likely to want to set up their own security screens.
"I am a bit surprised because I had the impression the Australians are not fully aware of the security preparations (in Athens)," Rogge said.
"It's their right to have some people with them but this cannot happen on a large scale. If every team had such security then that would be a problem."
Some Greek officials regard the Australian action as a slight on their ability to protect the Games and an infringement of national sovereignty.
Athens games organisers (ATHOC) have spent $600 million on security, far more than for any other Games, and plan to deploy 45,000 police and troops, three times the number for Sydney.
In a bid to soothe worries about security, Athens months ago set up an international committee of Britain, the United States, Israel, Spain, Australia, France and Germany to share information on terrorist threats and advise on protection.
Athens Games president Gianna Angelopoulos, who was in Lausanne for the invitation ceremony, said she was confident the Greek capital had planned well for security.
"But we have to remind the world that this is a celebration. And one celebrates when there is a safe environment, when one feels at home, is at ease, and this is what we want to do, and we are trying very hard to do so."
In a sign of how the Olympics sees itself as a unifying force in the world at this moment, Athens organisers revealed they were poised to expand the number of nations that would be visited by the traditional torch relay.
The relay is already the largest in the Olympics, planning to cross 27 cities over 35 days with more than 10,000 runners including visiting South America and Africa for the first time.
"Don't be surprised if there are more cities in the final list which will be announced in September," an Athens official said in formally revealing that New Delhi had been added.
The olive-leaf shaped torch will stop at previous Olympic cities, as well as Rio de Janeiro, Cairo, Cape Town, New Delhi, Nicosia, Lausanne, New York and Beijing, site of the 2008 games. Initial plans unveiled in February did not include the Indian capital.
Bureau Report